CHESTER MP Christine Russell has remained firm in her decision to support the war in Iraq, despite the turmoil which has beset the country.

When tensions mounted early last year, Ms Russell initially said she would only support military intervention if it had UN support in the form of a second resolution.

But when France threatened to exercise its right of veto and Prime Minister Tony Blair vowed to carry on regardless, she decided to back the war.

Now soldiers with the Cheshire Regiment, many of whom may be Ms Russell's constituents, are over in Iraq keeping the peace and training the local police force ready for the handover of power at the end of June.

Ms Russell, who has not once voted against the Government in her seven years in office, said: 'It's about getting things in perspective.

'I take cognisance from Ann Clwyd MP about what's happening on the ground. She's coming back with fairly positive reports. In most parts of the country, the rebuilding is going on.

'The quality of life for ordinary Iraqis is better than it was before. Everybody is overlooking the fact that we got rid of a tyrant who is not butchering his own people any more.'

Before deciding to support the war, Ms Russell had robust discussions with her daughter Charlotte who helped organise an anti-war demonstration in London.

She added: 'I'm sticking with my same line. I want to see a transfer of power. Hopefully, it will still happen and we need to make sure the UN's involvement is much stronger.

'The UN needs to have a clearly defined role after the handover takes place.'

The reason Mr Blair gave for going to war was that Iraq represented an imminent threat due to its possession of weapons of mass destruction. Ms Russell said the failure to find any such weapons was down to false information.

'I'm sure mistakes were made by the intelligence services,' she said, before conceding there was an element of the intelligence services being made a scapegoat by the politicians.

Asked how she would feel if any soldiers from the Cheshire Regiment were killed in a war which she had backed, Ms Russell said: 'You didn't ask me that question when the Cheshires were over in Northern Ireland or Kosovo.'

There had been speculation terrorists had planned to attack at last Saturday's Manchester United v Liverpool football match.

But Ms Russell does not feel Britain's involvement in the Iraqi conflict has made the UK more of a target for terrorists.

'Bin Laden was making these threats from 1997,' she said. 'I think it's about whether you stand up and recognise that there is a new threat to world security.'

The MP has long taken an interest in the politics of the Middle East. She accepts the situation in Israel and the Occupied Territories is depressing but does not believe a peaceful reconciliation there would necessarily undermine the terrorist cause.

'I don't think it's central, but I think it would make the chance of peace and stability a lot more secure if it could be sorted,' she said.

And Ms Russell denied Britain's close relationship with US President George Bush, who is a supporter of hard-line Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon, led to its being perceived as 'lining up with the oppressor' by Palestinians.